> > Still, it is somewhat aggravating, and kind
of
> > scary, to realize just how dependent you've
> > become on a machine...
>
> You're much more dependant on machines
than that. You would probably starve to death
without machines. Harvesting machines,
packaging machines, freezers, trucks and
planes and stuff to transport the food...

...and I realize that. That's part of what makes it
a bit scary. Machines (more specifically,
computers) have some control over almost
every aspect of my life! I can operate my car
and get where I need to go, but only because
of a computer inside it that translates my
inputs into actions. Computers run the traffic
lights that keep me from crashing into other
motorists every time I travel through a busy
intersection.

My house is run by machine. Machines
provide the electricity I need to run just about
everything in it. Not only that, but most of my
household appliances have computers in
them that make them work. I can tell my
coffeemaker to start making coffee at 6:30am,
on the dot, thanks to the little computer inside
it. I had to fork over a few hundred bucks a
couple months ago for a new dryer, not
because the dryer itself was broken, but
because the electronics in the control panel
stopped working, and it was more expensive
to get them replaced than simply buying a new
machine. What's up with that?